drongo

¹

[ drong-goh ]

noun

, plural dron·gos.

1. any passerine bird of the family Dicruridae, of Africa, Asia, and Australia, the several species usually having black plumage and long, forked tails.

drongo

²

[ drong-goh ]

noun

, Australian Slang.

, plural dron·gos.

1. a stupid or slow-witted person; simpleton.

drongo

/ ˈdrɒŋɡəʊ /

noun

1. Also calleddrongo shrike any insectivorous songbird of the family Dicruridae, of the Old World tropics, having a glossy black plumage, a forked tail, and a stout bill
2. slang.
   a slow-witted person
3. informal.
   a new recruit in the Royal Australian Air Force

Word History and Origins

Origin of drongo¹

Borrowed into English from Malagasy around 1835–45

Origin of drongo²

1920–25; probably to be identified with drongo ¹, as a name for the Australian bird Dicrurus bracteata; though often popularly alleged to have originated from the name of an unsuccessful racehorse of the 1920s

Word History and Origins

Origin of drongo¹

C19: from Malagasy

Example Sentences

“Just because I don’t wear a tie and I don’t spend all day with my head buried in a manual doesn’t mean I’m a drongo!”

From Slate

A type of cat called a margay, native to the Amazon, mimics the calls of pied tamarins, to lure the unsuspecting monkey prey, while a bird known as the fork-tailed drongo can imitate the alarm calls of as many as 45 other bird species, according to a study published in May 2014 in the journal Science.

From Scientific American

"In the beginning, we thought of just operating without registering due to the arduous and costly process. In addition, protection is only guaranteed for 10 years," Drongo's founder Ravololonjatovo told Reuters.

From Reuters

For Drongo, its patent protection registration cost $400, a big amount for the small start-up.

From Reuters

Named after a black-feathered bird found in Madagascar that mimics the calls of other birds, Drongo is developing mobile applications for text translations in international languages like English and French.

From Reuters